Saint Mary’s senior class invited their fathers to a variety of events at Saint Mary’s and Notre Dame this past weekend for the annual Senior Dad's Weekend.
Class president CoCo Craig said the tradition of inviting fathers to campus has been part of the Saint Mary’s experience for decades.
Craig said she spoke with a professor and alumna of Saint Mary's who said when she went to Saint Mary's, dads would come to spend the weekend with their daughters.
“There’s always been an event for at least 50 years where dads would come to bond with their daughters," she said.
More than 425 people were registered for the weekend, Craig said, which was about 50 more people than expected.
Craig said the weekend started with registration and a welcome reception with snacks and beverages. She said that different vendors from the area had stands at the reception and a percentage of everything the vendors sold went to the class.
Saturday started with a tour of Notre Dame Stadium, which included the north tunnel entrance, the locker room and the “Play Like a Champion Today” sign, Craig said. Afterwards, students and their fathers were free to spend the rest of the day on their own, an opportunity which most people took to dine at South Bend restaurants and watch the Notre Dame football game.
The Saturday night dinner was held at the Century Center in downtown South Bend, Craig said.
“President [Carol Ann] Mooney spoke at the dinner,” Craig said. “We also had a silent auction during the dinner. … It can range from sports game tickets to any kind of goodie basket.”
Craig said the weekend is a chance for students to spend time with their fathers while at school.
“[Students] have personal time that they wouldn’t normally have at school to hang out with your dad,” Craig said. “They also get to meet everyone else’s family and their fathers. It’s a really fun experience that usually people don’t get to do while at school.”
Craig said it is important to have Dad's Weekend as part of senior year at the College.
“At that point, you can show your dad all of the activities you do on the weekends and all of the fun places you like to go,” Craig said. “At the same time, you have your friend group. You know your friends and by that time, you can bond with everyone. All the dads can bond together and all the daughters can bond together. Basically, everyone can have quality time together.”
